Wareham DNR: Third Rabid Animal Confirmed in Wareham

On Thursday, September 6, 2018, Wareham Department of Natural Resources was called to a home in the vicinity of Anthony Way, Wareham, for a resident reporting an aggressive woodchuck/groundhog in their yard. The animal was collected by WDNR and sent to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health - Rabies Laboratory per protocol for testing. On the evening of September 7, 2018, the Wareham Department of Natural Resources was notified by MassDPH that the specimen tested positive for rabies and was disposed of in their facility.

The rabies case is located in a different portion of Wareham as opposed to the first to reports involving bats. We urge everyone to make sure your pets are up to date with their rabies vaccine and tagged accordingly. If you are in doubt, check with your veterinarian. The Town of Wareham Department of Natural Resources is an active partner of the Cape Cod Rabies Task Force and participates in the rabies vaccine baiting program help to to combat the spread of rabies among wildlife.

If you have questions of a possible exposure or locate an animal acting in a sickly or aggressive fashion, please contact the Wareham Department of Natural Resources at 508-291-3100 x. 3180. After regular business hours contact the Wareham Police Department dispatch at 508-295-1212.

DO NOT APPROACH any wildlife especially if it is acting in a sickly or aggressive fashion, observe from a safe distance and report all sightings.

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